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Pick n' Pay Knysna Oyster Festival

Western Cape Fun, Seafood and Wine Celebrations on the Garden Route

Apr 15, 2009 Solange Hando

Knysna brightens up its quiet southern winter with ten days of feast and fun, celebrating the finest South African oysters.

At the heart of the Garden Route, the Knysna Oyster Company has been farming oysters for 60 years. In the 1970s, Pacific oysters, the mainstay of the crop, were introduced in the lagoon where tides offer prime conditions for their development. They reach maturity in just 18 months, lean but succulent, and are highly appreciated alongside wild Cape coastal oysters.

The first Knysna Oyster Festival was held in 1983, on the initiative of a local businessman keen to attract visitors to the Garden Route and one of its favourite resorts in the winter months. The South African Navy offered its support the following year and has been involved ever since in the annual fun, seafood and wine celebrations.

The Pick n’ Pay Knysna Oyster Festival takes place in July, 3-12 in 2009, and is one of the most popular Western Cape fun events.

Seafood and Wine Celebrations on the Garden Route, Oysters Good for Health

Throughout the Knysna Festival, oysters and seafood are offered at give away prices in numerous oyster hotspots. They may be served Mexican style with a dash of Tequila, deep fried with cream cheese, baked with sherry and parmesan, in an omelette with smoked salmon and crème fraiche, with Mornay sauce or Bloody Mary. Endless variants cater to every taste.

Oysters are good for health, low in calories but rich in vitamins, reputed aphrodisiacs and excellent for the heart. So no one worries about the 15 000 or so which may be served in just three hours at the Oyster and Wine Mardi Gras, an exciting evening of oyster and wine tasting. Other food events include oyster shucking (opening) and eating competitions and cookery classes for children.

Oysters taste even better with a glass of wine or bubbly, perhaps a Louisvale Unwooded Chardonnay, a Beachhouse Sauvignon Blanc, a Cape Bay or a Boland rosé. More wine can be enjoyed at the Wade Bales Wine Festival evening.

Pick n’ Pay Knysna Festival, Western Cape Fun Event

The Pick n’ Pay Knysna Oyster Festival is all about the Good Life and its fun and sports events go hand in hand with the seafood and wine celebrations.

Soft adventure and sports include bowling and golf, canoeing, night cycling, angling and a navigation event. Serious competitors can enter the Drift Dive Challenge or the Forest Marathon while the main Cycle Tour is the biggest mountain and road biking event in South Africa.

There are dog trials, pageants, a hilarious waiters’ race, a bridge tournament, photographic and art exhibitions. Music lovers will enjoy the Whisky and Jazz festival, the SACS, one of the best school bands in the country, the rock bands and the 40 strong Navy who will parade through the streets and play on the waterfront.

The copyright of the article Pick n' Pay Knysna Oyster Festival in Sub-Sahara Africa Travel is owned by Solange Hando. Permission to republish Pick n' Pay Knysna Oyster Festival in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Knysna lagoon